December 15, 2020

True story: Sunday afternoon, a naked man walked right past me on Third Avenue. He wasn’t carrying a phone, a wallet, nor keys. No shoes, either! But he WAS wearing a mask. Priorities, gang.

1.

If you’re the type who appreciates perusing museum gift shops sometimes more than a trip to the actual museum, then you might enjoy this collection featuring some of the best hotel boutiques, no check-in required. Some of my own personal favorites include all the cheeky gift-y things Austin Motel by Bunkhouse Group, and Charleston’s The Dewberry Hotel, where interiors and events designer Rebecca Gardner of Houses & Parties recently hosted her legendary holiday pop-up shop.

2.

Did anyone else find themselves vigorously nodding while reading Stella Bugbee’s examination on all our conflicted feelings around Instagram this year, as shared through the lens of her own experiences? Whether it’s posting pictures of food from a struggling beloved restaurant, when there’s food inequity rampant in our country, or blasting out political messaging and racial statistics when you’re a privileged, white individual, and that’s never really been something you’ve done before this year, it feels like you’re damned if you post…anything. I know I’ve pulled back on my sharing, because of these mixed feelings, but I’m also guilty of some of the same offenses.

3.

Do we really need 2020 to get any more surreal? I guess I do, sorry! It’s pretty silly, but right now I’m finding a lot of joy in things that look exactly like other (mostly edible) things. Like these candles, and these candles. And these little veggie lookalikes, which are actually chocolate.

4.

So, in a single weekend, WSJ published one of my favorite (see #1) things, and something that made my blood boil for its sheer idiocy. As much as I don’t want to give the article any more clicks, I think it’s important to see that this op-ed piece is what misogyny looks like. It’s not always violent or crude. It can come veiled in academic-speak and literary reputation, and published by one of the world’s most widely-read newspapers. And then this is what one woman (just a wife of some former US president, no other real accomplishments of her own) had to say about it.

5.

One more recent discovery for the ‘things that look like other things” category: this decadent new lipstick literally gives lips a plush, velvet-y look. My makeup routine has been pretty stripped-back with all the mask-wearing this year, but I could pair this with my Sunday sweatpants, and still look like I made a proper effort this holiday season. It might even compel me to brush my hair.

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